Brummies spend a staggering £522 on Chinese meals each year

Brummies love nothing more than tucking into tasty Chinese food according to new research.

Birmingham may be the country’s Balti capital – but it seems Brummies love nothing more than tucking into a tasty Chinese meal.

New research has revealed the average Brummie forks out £522 a year on buying 51 Chinese meals.

And the younger generation seems to have an endless appetite for noodles and rice – with the average 25 to 34-year-old eating their way through two Chinese meals a week at a cost of £33 – £1,700 per year.

The research was carried out by Chinese beer firm Tsingtao Beer ahead of its fifth annual Legacy of Taste competition, which aims to find Britain’s top Chinese restaurants.

Spokesman James Wright said: “We want to protect the heritage of Chinese cuisine in the UK by highlighting the best and most authentic restaurants.

“Birmingham seems to have a real appetite for Chinese food, with younger palettes leading the way when it comes to eating ethnic food.

“Our research is a real reflection of the increased exposure consumers have to far-flung holiday destinations and gap-year travelling.’’

‘‘This makes us more accessible to the tastes of oriental food,’’ Mr Wright said.

“I think Chinese food is also gaining popularity as the UK is growing in the number of fine restaurants we now have outside of China.

“Supermarkets are also stocking more and more authentic Chinese ingredients, which is one of the reasons why half of us are opting to cook our own oriental meals at home.”

Henry Wong in Harborne

He said celebrities were also boosting the popularity of Chinese food, with actresses Kate Winslet and Sarah Jessica Parker both admitting their love for the cuisine.

Anyone wanting to nominate their favourite Birmingham Chinese restaurant for an award should visit www.legacyoftaste.co.uk by October 31.